


Brew and Gold

by starwritess



Category: Blue Beetle (Comics), Booster Gold (Comics), DCU (Comics), Justice League International (Comics)
Genre: Coffee Shops, First Dates, Identity Porn, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 01:58:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19219282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starwritess/pseuds/starwritess
Summary: Ted had never wanted to tell Booster his secret identity, he'd never imagined it being much of a problem. After all, it's not like Booster Gold and Ted Kord would ever meet, right?





	Brew and Gold

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. IMPORTANT booster does NOT know ted's secret identity in this!!!!! it's in the tags and the description, but i thought i'd mention it one last time to avoid confusion.  
> 2\. i literally wrote this entire thing just for the pun. credit to my friend Lancelot_of_the_revolution for said pun and my other friend Ferrum_Icarus for ted's terrible music taste  
> 3\. i've never had a romantic interaction in my life and it shows  
> 4\. i apologize for typos it's just that i'm tired  
> 5\. thank you for reading!!!!!

Ted was so tired. He yawned into the back of his hand, swiping his credit card to pay for a muffin and coffee. Giving the Barista his name, he then shuffled to the back of the morning rush, fighting to keep his eyes open as he waited for his order to be called. 

Who’s idea was it to schedule a board meeting at 7 AM, anyways? Yes, logically, it made sense. Some of the other members lived in different timezones, this was the best fit for all of them, but that didn’t mean Ted wouldn’t complain.

Between the constant yawning and sluggish pace his mind was working at, he zoned out the recurring noises, only half listening for his own name to be called.

He spared a moment to be envious of his teammates in the JLI. Most of them didn’t have secret identities or alternate jobs. Scott was a mechanic, and he’s sure Batman did something awfully important, but most of them… Well, Ted was jealous. 

When the Barista called his name, he pushed through the large crowd of people to pick up his order. As he was walking to the side bar, ready to dump as much cream and sugar as was socially acceptable into his drink, a low murmur spread around the mob of people. They seemed to be excited about something, but Ted literally could not care less. After dumping his fifth sugar into his coffee, he took a savory sip, cupping it in his hands and already feeling slightly more alert. Now, to get to that board meeting.

Cup in one hand, muffin in the other, Ted spun around and-

Abruptly ran into another man’s chest. 

He started stuttering apologies, worrying about stains and checking to see if the coffee had spilled - thankfully not more than a few stray drops on his suit jacket - before actually noticing who it was.

As he came face-to-face with the golden suit and emblazoned star, his first thought was,  _ why is he here? _ Ted was very careful to avoid his friend as a civilian. So careful, in fact, that he  _ knew  _ Booster usually frequented the Sundollar down the street. That’s why Ted never went there! He always came to this shop on the corner of 82nd and 3rd. But yet, as luck would have it, here they were.

“Sorry,” Ted apologized one last time, trying really hard to duck around his friend, but the crowds were too thick. He was stuck here. 

“Hey,” Booster grinned, bright and dazzling. It was the smile he gave to strangers, usually reporters or people he was flirting with. A smile perfectly designed to impress even the most sceptical of onlookers. Booster leaned his palm on the side bar, shifted his weight to one hip, and asked, “Come here often?”

Ted almost  _ choked _ . Was it possible that Booster recognized him? Was he just making a joke? “Yeah, almost every day.”

Booster lit up. “You know, I normally go to the Sundollar down the street, but they’re remodeling during the next few weeks.” Ah, that explained it. So this was just nearby. And Ted just  _ happened _ to be  _ that _ unlucky. Booster leaned a little closer, spoke a little softer as he said, “Looking forward to seeing your beautiful face every morning.”

Ted would be lying if he said he didn’t almost pass out then and there. Was Booster  _ flirting _ with him? His heart sped up, face heating. What was he supposed to say? Awkwardly, he took a sip of his coffee before answering, “I’ll, uh, be here.”

Booster smiled again, bright and joyful and larger than life, before holding out his gloved hand and introducing himself, “Booster Gold, great to meet you.”

_ Yeah, I know, _ Ted thought, amazed that his best friend hadn’t recognized him thus far. He shook his hand and tried for an easy smile back, “Ted Kord.”

“Well,  _ Mr. Kord, _ ” The way Booster said his name, teasing and playing on the tip of his tongue, it left Ted wanting to hear it again. Booster seemed to know the affect he had, “I suppose I should grab my coffee now, but I look forward to seeing you soon.” With a final wink - that Ted isn’t 100% sure even happened - Booster left, and with him, all sense of Ted’s self composure.

 

\---------------

 

He’d surprisingly gotten to the meeting on time, and the rest of the day had gone by fairly well. There was a brief lab accident in R&D, but nothing too bad. In fact, the day was almost perfect. Afterwards, he’d headed off to the JLI headquarters for his scheduled monitor duty. 

Ted was close to forgetting the entire morning incident, putting it aside as some weird hallucination or dream. He probably would have if Booster hadn’t come to visit him.

“It’s getting late _ ,” _ Booster began, dropping a plate in front of Ted. “Thought you might want dinner.”

The plate was half mashed potatoes, half mac ‘n cheese. They were both a little runny, but otherwise looked fine. Ted often liked to imagine how different food was in the future. Did Booster have so much trouble cooking because synthesizing food was a regular occurrence? Or was it because he just wasn’t used to cooking for others? 

Ted took a bite, and looked up to thank Booster, but the words died on his tongue. He swallowed and awkwardly searched for something to say, this morning’s strange meeting still fresh in his mind. 

“What? Is there something on my face?” Booster reached up and touched his own cheek, conscious of Ted’s staring.

He quickly looked back down at the plate. This was ridiculous. It was just Booster! “Zoning out a bit, sorry. Tired.”

“Up late last night?” Booster rolled a chair next to Ted, plopped down on it. He waggled his eyebrows and asked, “Do anything  _ fun _ ?”

Ted rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You know I can’t tell you that. Secret identity, remember?” Hopefully he sounded cool and mysterious. In reality, he had just watched reruns of his favorite show until one in the morning.

“Oh right, of  _ course _ . Mysterious Beetle and his mysterious ways,” Booster said, reclining in his chair with his arms behind his head. “So I met this guy.”

Ted may be unable to share details of his personal life with Booster, secret identity and all, but Booster had no such limitations. Booster Gold had no secret alter ego to worry about, and such, he had no problem talking about the people he was interested in. Curious, Ted prompted him to continue with a simple, “Yeah?”

“Hah, yeah. Met him at a coffee shop this morning. The Sundollar I usually go to was closed for remodeling, so I decided to try this place down the street. Best decision I’ve ever made.” Booster relaxed with a dreamy sigh. “Most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, even as he spilled coffee on me. Said his name was Ted.”

Ted froze, mashed potatoes halfway to his mouth. Did Booster really not recognize him? It didn’t seem like he had at the time, but Ted hadn’t truly believed that. He’d kind of just thought Booster was being polite in regards to his identity. Could it be that he really didn’t make the connection between them?

“I can’t wait to see him again tomorrow. I’m going to try and get there early, maybe buy his coffee for him. I want to make a good impression.”

Ted would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to Booster. Anyone with eyes was attracted to Booster. He’s incredible. But Ted had long since accepted that nothing was going to happen. If not for secret identities, then maybe because Booster was so far out of his league that such a dream seemed impossible.

“Beetle? Are you okay?” Booster had scooted closer to him, peering closely at his face. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine,” Ted sighed weakly. “Just a bit more tired than I thought.”

“Well, good thing I’m here to keep you awake.” Booster clapped him on the shoulder, smiling and cheery. 

Ted agreed. He joked absently with his best friend for the rest of monitor duty, all the same debating what he should do in the morning. Should he arrive at a different time? Go somewhere else? He knew he should avoid Booster, he was just not sure he wanted to.

 

\---------------

 

By the time morning rolled around, Ted still hadn’t come any closer to an answer. Begrudgingly, he followed the same routine he did every day, stopping at the coffee shop before work.

Immediately someone tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, unsurprisingly, Ted was met with Booster’s dazzling grin. What  _ was _ surprising? He didn’t have his uniform on. No mask, no shiny gold suit, no star on his chest. Instead, he wore a plain white button down and jeans, and he wore it  _ well. _

“Hi, it’s me,” Booster pointed at his own face, “Booster Gold. I really wanted to see you again, but I didn’t want to be followed by fans, so I came without the uniform.”

Ted gulped. This was a lot worse than he’d initially thought. Booster may not have a civilian identity to protect, but he didn’t unmask for just anyone. As far as Ted knew, Booster had never unmasked to do some simple flirting. Actually, he usually used his superhero status as a means to someone’s heart. Feeling a little weak at the knees, Ted tried for a simple greeting, “Good to see you again.”

Booster lit up like a Christmas tree. “Can I buy you a coffee?”

Ted glanced at the watch on his wrist to make sure he had time, but he knew it didn’t matter. Any spare time he could get with his best friend, he would take, even if it was in this bizarre scenario where Booster didn’t know who he truly was. “Sure, but I’ll have to go to work in a bit.”

“As long as I get to spend some time getting to know you, I’ll take it,” Booster said, then proceeded to step forward and order as if that wasn’t one of the nicest things he could have possibly said. He ordered a frappuccino with caramel, as he always has. When it came Ted's time to order, he got a small, black coffee with plans to dump sugar and cream into it. He reached for his wallet, but Booster stopped him with a gentle touch on his forearm. “Don’t worry, I got it.”

Ted would have argued, but Booster looked so sincere, like he actually  _ wanted _ to pay and wasn’t just doing it to be nice. Besides, God knows how many times he’d paid for Booster’s meals before. He accepted his coffee, thanking both Booster and the barista, before going to sit at a booth in the back.

“What do you do?” Booster asked, sliding into the seat across from him. “At work?”

Ted raised his eyebrow. He was treating this like a real date. Which it wasn’t. “Have you seen the building across the street?”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen who’s name is in giant letters across the top?”

“Kord?” Booster’s eyes widened as he made the connection. “I didn’t realize-”

Ted chuckled into his coffee. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you have much more important things to worry about than knowing who I am.” 

“But I want to know,” Booster leaned forward onto his hands. “I want to know  _ you.” _

The way he said it, so soft and intimate, left Ted’s cheeks flushed. Was it getting hot? He reached up and fiddled with the top button of his shirt. He didn’t dare unbutton it - didn’t want to seem unprofessional when so many of his employees frequented this shop and might see him - but he thought about it. Booster’s gaze briefly tracked the movement, before shooting back up to his eyes. Ted cleared his throat, “So, uh, Booster- or should I call you something else? Do you have a name, or does everyone just call you Booster?” 

Ted knew that everyone only referred to him by the nickname, but he still itched to know Booster’s real name, to know more about him. He may not have a secret identity to worry about, but he  _ must _ have a name. Unless it really was Booster. Ted supposed he wasn’t familiar with 25th century naming conventions. 

“Everyone just calls me Booster,” He answered, taking a sip of his frappuccino. His hair hung lazily over his forehead, shadows illuminating how bright his eyes were. There was a small grin playing upon his lips, quirked up a bit higher on the right side as opposed to the left. Ted couldn’t help but admire the sight.

Booster noticed his staring. “See something you like?” He teased, leaning even further towards Ted and nudging his foot beneath the table. 

Ted jumped, surprised by the touch. This was all just too  _ weird. _ Booster was  _ flirting _ with him. And not as a joke, or some half-witted thing. Booster was  _ actually _ and  _ genuinely  _ interested in him.

A gentle hand on his wrist made Ted look up. “You okay?” Booster asked. “You seem a bit jumpy.”

“I’m fine,” He squeaked, then cleared his throat to correct, “Fine. Good. Just a bit on edge.” What was with him? He never acted like this around his friend.

“Anything I can help with?” The hand on his wrist crept up a little higher.

Ted barely held back a snort. If only Booster could help, but Ted wasn’t going to reveal his identity. He’d have to find another way out of this. Later, though. Right now, Booster’s foot was nudging his ankle, his hand was moving up his arm, and his face was growing closer by the second.

“Not really,” Ted squawked. “Not unless you, uh,”  _ Think, Ted! What’s something boring that he already knows about?  _ Work, of course! “Not unless you wanna file my finance overviews for me.”

Booster chuckled a bit. He stopped inching closer, but his hand kept moving, now slowly going back and forth up Ted’s forearm. “Not the type of help I was referring to.”

Okay, so maybe Ted was a bit guilty here, because he was rather enjoying it. Enjoying the touches, the flirting, the lingering gazes. He was enjoying the romantic attention from his best friend. He shouldn’t, but he was.

So he took a risk. Ted leaned in a bit, put one hand over Booster’s - which was still running across his arm, but stopped with the contact. He tried for a smile, genuine - hopefully a tad bit teasing - and spoke in a voice hardly above a whisper, “I’m sure I could be persuaded into something else.”

Booster’s eyes lit up. “Yeah?”

Ted swallowed. This was an awful idea. This was potentially the worst idea he’d ever had. “Definitely.”

With his free hand, Booster reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sharpie (he always keeps one on his person, in case of autographs. He’d mentioned it to Ted dozens of times before). He swiped Ted’s cup and wrote a number on the side of it. Ted recognized it as his personal cell, which he already had memorized, but he couldn’t say that. “You know, I was drinking that,” He teased instead, taking a long sip of his coffee to prove the point.

Booster smirked. “You know, if you’re looking for something to do with your mouth, I could provide a few suggestions.”

Ted choked on his coffee. “Oh my God, seriously?” 

“Of course.”

“I’ll uh-” Ted ducked his head to try and hide the redness on his cheeks. “I’ll think about it. But I have to go to work now-”

“I can walk with you?” Booster suggested.

“No! No, it’s okay. It’s just across the street.” This whole situation was too much for him. And the worst part? He actually liked Booster. Not in the best friend way, but in the stomach churning, butterflies kind of way. Every time Booster would touch him, his skin would heat up, and now, from the compliments and the flirting, Ted felt as if he was walking on air. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling, just a bizarre one. He needed to be alone to process it. Still… “But I’ll call you later, okay?”

Booster beamed. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Great.” Booster’s grin was contagious, and Ted couldn’t help but smile back. With one parting goodbye, he took the coffee with him as he ducked out of the cafe.

 

\---------------

 

“ _ Beetle,” _ Booster groaned, sitting in the passenger seat of the bug. “ _ Please  _ let me change the music.”

“Why?” Ted asked innocently, steering the vehicle through a cloud. “You don’t like the 80s?”

“I don’t mind the 80s, I just don’t like whatever this experimental tech stuff is.”

“Excuse you, Depeche Mode is high art.”

“Please tell me you didn’t just say that.” Booster reached to change the radio station, but Ted swatted his hand away. He threw his arm up and frustratedly exclaimed, “Come on, anything but this!” 

“ _ Anything? _ ” Ted smirked.

“Yes!  _ Literally _ anything else.”

“You got it, buddy.” Ted leaned across the midsection and began flipping through the radio stations until finally landing on an interview about Quantum Mechanics.

Booster groaned, dramatically hitting the console to turn it off. “Ugh, I’d rather suffer in silence.”

Ted laughed. He dared a glance at Booster, who, despite the protesting and complaining, looked really happy. He was leaning back in his chair, watching the skyline, eyes bright and full of glee. His hair dangled lazyly to one side as he leaned on his knuckles, elbow propped up on the armrest. One leg crossed over the other, foot tapping slightly against the wall. It wasn’t quite sunset yet, but the light was beginning to turn red, showing in the tint of Booster’s golden suit.

Booster turned and caught his eye. The corner of his mouth quirked up and Ted felt his insides melt.

Ever since their little “date” the other day, Ted had found himself in more and more moments like these. Moments where he found himself attracted to his best friend. Physically, yes, he’d always been attracted to him - Booster is just a conventionally good looking person - but Ted had never experienced the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach, nor the heat lingering beneath his skin. He’d never before wanted to just grab Booster’s face and kiss him senseless, kiss him until he couldn’t remember his own name.

He swallowed that thought down and looked back to the sky, trying very hard to think of anything but Booster’s lips.

“Blue Beetle, come in,” Echoed over the radio, signal fuzzy with static. 

Ted leaned closer to listen. This was quite possibly the first time he had ever been happy to hear from Guy, if only for the distraction. “Here, what’s the problem?”

“Goldie with you?”

“I’m here,” Booster answered, exasperated. “What do you want?”

“What? Am I interrupting something _? _ ” Guy snickered.

Ted’s stomach lurched, but he managed a, “Shut up, Guy.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Anyways, J’onn’s requesting help in Metropolis. He wanted to know if you two could make it as backup.”

Ted looked at the radar. Well, they would have to go a bit off course, but… “We’ll be there. Ten minutes tops.”

He steered the bug in a different direction, and from that point, it was all chaos and aliens. For a bit, Ted was able to pretend he wasn’t longing for his best friend. And if he kept a closer eye on him in battle, well, none would be the wiser.

 

\---------------

 

Two days had passed, and Ted was admittedly very afraid to call Booster. He’d stood over his phone, pondering texts for an hour last night, only to end up with nothing. He just wanted the wording to be right - not too eager, but very interested. It had been a long time since Ted had gone on a date, he wasn’t sure how to approach it.

That wasn’t even touching on the real problem. Ted had decided that he needed to tell Booster the truth. What’s the worst that could happen? He’d originally kept his two lives separate to avoid mixing superheroes with work, but that had since gone out the window. Now, Ted Kord was forever mingled with the superhero Booster Gold. There was no going back, so he might as well confess.

Ted stared down at his phone. He hovered over Booster’s contact on the screen, the numbers mocking him. This wasn’t the same phone that he used as the Blue Beetle, so at least that wouldn’t be an issue. He wouldn’t have to worry about any complications there. 

Ted squeezed his eyes shut and hit the call button.

With each dial tone, each ring, he grew more nervous. What was he even going to say?  _ Hey, Booster. Nice talking to you. Anyways, I’m actually your best friend, Blue Beetle, and I kind of like you now. In a romantic way. So let’s deal with it. _ No, he can’t say that!

Before Ted could collect his thoughts, Booster picked up, sounding the other end with a sleepy, “Hello?”

“Hey! Booster, hi. It’s me. Uh, Ted.” It was ten in the morning, was Booster sleeping? Maybe he should have called at a later time. But didn’t Booster go get coffee every day? Shouldn’t he be awake by now? Then again, they were out fighting in Metropolis late last night-

“Ted! Good to hear from you,” Booster exclaimed, and just like that, all of Ted’s worries melted into a puddle of affection and admiration. “How are you?”

“I’m okay, I was just calling to…” Say it, Ted! Tell him the truth! “See if you wanted to go out Saturday night. Dinner on me.” Okay, that was  _ not _ the original plan.

“I would love to! You like Mexican? There’s this place down the street that I’ve been meaning to try. It looks great, but I’m sure it would be even better if you were there.”

There was a flirtatious lilt to his words, one that left Ted on the edge of his seat, wanting to hear more of his beautiful voice. “That sounds like fun. What time works? Seven?”

“I can’t wait to see you.” Booster’s tone was lower, with the promise of something more. “And wear something nice.” The way he said it, it didn’t seem like he was talking about clothes. Ted hid the urge to hide his red face, despite the empty room.

They worked out the finer details before hanging up, Ted feeling light on his feet despite not having accomplished his initial goal. He swore to himself that he would figure it out. After all, he still had two days before the date. Surely, Ted could devise a plan in two days, right?

Apparently, he could not.

Saturday came faster than ever imagined, and Ted spent most of the date trying to flirt, but ending up flustered instead. Booster threw compliments left and right, never failing to catch Ted completely off guard. He just wasn’t used to Booster acting like this around him! 

Other than that though, this side of Booster wasn’t all that different than the one he knew. Funny, cute, still as charming as ever. He made jokes, tried to show off, and at the end of the night, offered to walk Ted home.

“Come on,” He insisted. “It’s dark, who knows what could happen?”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Ted protested half-heartedly, knowing he could protect himself. However, Booster seemed a bit saddened by that, and Ted had always hated that puppy-dog pout, so he quickly amended, “But I would still love the company.”

Booster perked up, smile back and as dazzling as ever. His suit jacket framed his shoulders nicely, Ted noticed. The black looked great on him. It was very different from the usual golden attire, but he truly looked fantastic. 

They walked side-by-side, making idle conversation about everything and nothing. The weather, what their plans were for the rest of the weekend, how long they had lived in the city, and whatever else came to mind. It was nice. As they neared Ted’s apartment, their hands lightly bumped together, and he took the chance to intertwine their fingers.

Booster’s grip was firm, but his smile was warm, comforting, as he looked over at Ted. His stomach did backflips, lost in the endearment of Booster’s gaze. Slowly, they stopped walking, drowning in the silent intimacy of each other’s touch.

“I, uh…” Booster’s eyes darted down to Ted’s mouth, and his stomach clenched at the thought, at the prospect of what could be. “Can I…”

He never finished the sentence, both of them leaning closer until slowly, tentatively, their lips touched. It was sweet, hesitant, not at all what Ted had imagined kissing Booster to be like. 

Booster’s hand came up to frame Ted’s face, and he hummed softly with the contact, stepping closer so that their bodies were flush together. He wanted this. He wanted this  _ so much. _

Ted wrapped his hands around the back of Booster’s neck, running his hands slowly through his golden hair. Loving the feel of their intimate touches, he dared to deepen the kiss. Slowly, surely, their lips fitting together like they were meant to be.

Eventually, they had to pull away, but they did so reluctantly. Their foreheads pressed together, they shared their mingled breath. 

“Wow,” Booster exhaled, quiet and lovingly, as if only for Ted’s ears.

“Yeah,” He agreed.  _ Tell him now _ , Ted thought.  _ This is the perfect moment. Tell him! _

Booster graced Ted’s cheek with his thumb, and Ted fell into it, overtaken by the soft caresses and warmth of his touch. 

“I should probably say good night,” Booster said mournfully, sighing and stepping away.

Ted looked between Booster and his apartment door. He really didn’t want to let this go, not yet. “I don’t suppose you would want to-”

Booster quickly pecked his lips, smiling against them. “Not tonight, not yet. It’s only the first date, and I really like you. I want to do this right.”

Ted’s heart felt as if it was floating. They parted ways with one final kiss, and Ted went to bed that night light as air, happy and content.

 

\---------------

 

Ted spent all of Sunday worrying. He was overjoyed with their relationship (was that what this was?), but he  _ really _ needed to tell his friend the truth. Luckily, he’d been called in for monitor duty that night. It was a welcome distraction. Unluckily, Booster was also there.

It was  _ awful. _ Ted couldn’t focus on anything Booster said! He just kept thinking about his lips, and the kiss, and how much he wanted to do it again. He thought about running his hands all over Booster’s body, about laying together with entangled legs, exchanging passionate kisses while-

“Beetle? Are you listening?” Booster waved a hand in front of his face.

Ted snapped back to attention. “Wuh? Huh?”

“I asked if you wanted a soda,” Booster smiled at him, leaning on the back of his chair. It made Ted’s knees feel weak. “I’m heading to the kitchen.”

“I’m good, thanks,” Ted looked down, busying himself by fiddling with a nearby pen. He uncapped it several times to distract from the thoughts of wanting to touch his partner.

“I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I brought you water anyways,” Booster said, carrying a can of coke and a bottle of water back into the room. He leaned over Ted’s shoulder to set them both down, which only resulted in his skin feeling electric from the close proximity.

Man, he had it  _ bad. _

“So, uh, tell me about your weekend,” Ted said, desperate to break the silence.

“Went on a date last night,” Booster sighed dreamily. 

“Yeah? How’d it go?” Of course he was going to talk about that. Why had Ted bothered asking?

“Oh, Beetle, he’s fantastic, you have no idea.” Ted’s heart sped up with each word. “We went out to eat, joked around a lot. He’s so fun to talk to, charismatic and charming…” Was that true? Ted thought he’d stumbled through the whole evening, flustered by Booster’s mere presence. “I really like him. I hope I don’t mess it up.”

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” 

Ted swallowed, and Booster’s head cocked to the side; he seemed genuinely curious. Ted wanted to tell him. He should tell him. He just needs to take off his cowl and-

“I appreciate the confidence, buddy,” Booster nudged him with his elbow, and Ted fought the urge the lean into it, to touch him, to caress his cheek and run his fingers through his hair.

He cleared his throat. “Just be yourself. He’ll love you.”

“Thanks,” Booster smiled, leaning back in his chair. Ted’s eyes followed the movement; the curve of his neck, the way his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up at the monitor. 

“No problem,” Ted very pointedly looked the other way. He couldn’t stop staring. It was getting out of hand. 

“Do you mind if I just-” Booster leaned across his lap, reaching for the soda. Ted jumped back in the chair, and Booster’s hand immediately went to his shoulder. “Woah. You okay?”

“Yes,” He squawked. It was an obvious lie.

Booster eyed him cautiously. “Are you sure?”

Ted stared at the screen. “Yes.”

Hand still on his shoulder, Booster leaned in closer, peering curiously at Ted’s carefully calculated expression.

“Oh, I get it.”

Ted felt his heart stop. “W-what?” Surely, he couldn’t have figured it out? 

“You’re jealous of my newfound love life. Don’t worry, we can find someone to set you up with. Maybe Ted has a friend, or we could always ask Scott if he knows someone-”

“No, Booster.” Okay, this had to end. Ted had to come clean. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

The way Booster was looking at him, like there wasn’t anything Ted could say that would affect them, like he wasn’t about the ruin their entire friendship. His hand was still on his shoulder, warm and comforting. He took a deep breath. “I’m-”

The alarm blared throughout the hall, flashing red on every surface and siren cutting off anything Ted would have said. They both stood at attention, Booster running over to check the feed. “It’s another invasion. Same guys as before, apparently they’re attacking Metropolis.”

“Dammit,” Ted cursed, remembering how difficult it was to take them down a few days ago. He hurried over to a microphone. “J’onn, where do you want us?”

“Evacuation. 82nd and 3rd,” He answered, the sound of lasers and bullets carrying through the microphone. 

Ted winced. That was-

“That’s where Ted’s building is,” Booster said, face pale. “We need to make sure he’s okay.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We have to make sure all the civilians are okay,” He tried not to feel too awful and hoped Booster wouldn’t notice Ted Kord’s “absence” from the office. “Let’s load up the Bug and head out.”

Booster fiddled with his hands, obviously distressed. Ted felt more and more guilty with each passing moment. Once they were up in the air, Ted began, “Look, Booster-”

“I know you’re going to tell me not to worry.” Booster sat with his shoulders hunched, staring out the window. “And you’re probably right, but he means a lot to me, okay? I know we’ve only been on one date, but it feels like I’ve known him forever. I  _ really _ care about him. Maybe I’m a fool, but if so, I don’t want to know.” Booster looked down, turning his palms over in his lap. “He makes me happy.”

Oh God, Ted was going to be sick.

They landed on the roof of a nearby tower. There didn’t seem to be much property damage other than a few broken windows and smashed cars. That was a rarity, most alien invasions involved buildings crumbling at the seams.

“You start on the street, I’ll go to Kord Inc. and-” Booster started, but Ted cut him off.

“No!” He hastened, grabbing a first aid kit on their way out, just in case. “I just, uh, think we should stick together. Blue and Gold!”

Booster eyed him, but agreed nonetheless. “Okay, but can we go to Kord first? It’ll help me feel better to see them all to safety.”

“Sure,” Ted nodded. Maybe when they got to his office and saw that it was empty, he would be able to stop thinking about it. Booster picked them up and flew them over, edging on the side of too fast. 

They landed on one of the middle floors. “You go down, I’ll go up,” Booster directed, completely forgetting their previous oath of sticking together. Ted let it go, instead opting to worry about people’s safety than his own romantic troubles. As he watched Booster fly up to the top floor, Ted busied himself with directing civilians down the stairs and out the emergency exit. 

He couldn’t stop worrying. And, sure enough, as Booster carried Ted’s assistant down with him, setting her gently down on the street below, he turned to Ted and told him, “He’s not up there.”

“He probably just wasn’t in the office,” Ted reasoned. “We really need to help direct the other civilians from the buildings, then go to the battle, help where we can.”

Booster sighed. “You’re right. I guess I just get caught up in things like this. I worry, after-” He stopped himself, but it made sense. Ted hadn’t even considered how lonely he may be. After losing his Mom and his sister… Ted couldn’t blame him for being scared.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He patted his friend on the shoulder, ignoring the way his hand was electric with the contact. “We can talk about it later, if you want. But for now, let’s go save some lives.”

Booster smiled at him, leaned into Ted’s touch, and he tried very hard to ignore his heart’s incessant beating.

They ended up getting everyone to safety, and perhaps Booster was a little quieter doing so, but he seemed a bit better. Ted knew that, as soon as they got a moment alone, he had to come clean. For real this time. This had gone on long enough.

As soon as they were in the Bug, as soon as they were up in the air, empty and with no one around, Ted put the vehicle on autopilot. He turned to Booster, hands clasped tightly in his lap and lips pursed. “Booster, I-”

Booster looked at him, one eyebrow raised. 

Ted couldn’t speak, his mouth was dry. Then again, actions speak louder than words so, hands shaking, he reached up and tugged off his cowl.

Booster’s jaw dropped. “You-”

“Yeah.”

“But I-”

“Yeah.”

“Even when-”

Ted sighed. “Yeah. Look, I’m really sorry about this. I never expected you to even meet me -  _ actual _ me, secret identity me. I’d never planned for this to happen. I didn’t know how to deal with it.”

Booster shut his eyes tightly, head in his hands. “You should have told me.”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Ted answered, then corrected, “Well, I guess I was scared.”

“Of what?”

“I really like you,” Ted deflated, figuring he might as well confess everything. “I mean, I always have, but not like this. Not-” He choked, then loudly cleared his throat. “-Romantically.” 

Booster’s eyes widened, to which Ted added, “It’s not weird. We’ve already been on a date.”

“Oh my God,” Booster gaped. “We went on a date. We kissed! Beetle, we kissed! And I liked it!”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Ted mocked offense, but he was actually very happy that Booster wasn’t mad. He seemed more shocked than anything. “I happen to be an excellent kisser.”

“Not gonna argue with that. Best damn kiss I’ve ever had.”

It suddenly felt very hot in the Bug. Ted briefly thought about opening a window, despite the fact that they were hundreds of feet off the ground. “Uh, thanks.”

“No, really.” Booster seemed to be watching him closely, head cocked to the side. “If I had known you were so attractive, I would have done something about it sooner.”

“So we’re bypassing the secret identity talk and going straight to flirting, huh?”

Rolling his eyes, Booster scooted to the edge of his chair. He reached over and gently laid a palm on Ted’s knee. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Ted dared to put his hand over his friend’s. “Thanks. And thank you for not being mad.”

“Oh, I’m a little annoyed,” Booster confessed. “But I understand. Secret identities are a big thing now. Actually-” He pulled away, hooked the thumbs around his own mask and tugged it down. “Ted Kord, meet Michael Jon Carter.”

“You’re beautiful,” Ted couldn’t help but gasp, because he was. He was breathtaking. With his tan skin, golden hair, dazzling smile. It wasn’t the first time Ted had seen Booster without his mask - hell, he’d just spent the entire evening with him a couple days ago - but he’d never stopped to appreciate how magnificent he looked.

Booster stood from his chair. The Bug was still on autopilot, coasting through the serene evening sky. He kneeled down in front of Ted, reached up to caress his chin, ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “I can’t believe my partner and my boyfriend are the same person.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Booster smiled at him, other hand running circles on Ted’s knee. “If you would like?”

Ted returned his expression, leaned down and cupped his cheek. “I would like. Now get up here so I can kiss you.”

They shared a short laugh before doing just that, locked in a tender embrace above the Metropolis skyline. It was somehow even better than their previous kiss. Maybe it was the absence of fear or secrets, or maybe it was the way Booster crawled into his lap, one hand running through his hair as the other wrapped around his waist. 

“Y’know, I could get used to this,” Ted admitted, a bit breathless as they separated. Booster chuckled low in his throat before pressing soft kisses around his jaw. “Making out in the Bug. Do you think we could make this a regular occurrence?”

Booster landed one more peck to Ted’s lips before nodding. “Only if you let me buy you coffee on Monday morning.”

“I think I would like that.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments are appreciated and cherished (seriously i love you guys) and if you want to connect with me, you can follow/message me on [Tumblr](https://supermonkeyball.tumblr.com) or [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/fires_knight)


End file.
